1974 Starcraft Chieftain Overhaul

[oldhaven]

OK, if your mind is made up, I would suggest that you carefully take off the cabin and the bulkhead hardware and berth supports without using a sawzall, but removing the rivets that hold everything on. It doesn't take that long to do. That hull is the same as a same year Holiday and someone may want to add a cabin if you put it on CL or here on Iboats in the classified. You may even be able to trade for the parts you can use for your project. In any case. some of the things on it, like the opening side windows on the upper windshield, are pretty nice to have. I can see the appeal of these as a big open boat.

Ron

 

[Unapologetic_Patriot]

OK, if your mind is made up, I would suggest that you carefully take off the cabin and the bulkhead hardware and berth supports without using a sawzall, but removing the rivets that hold everything on. It doesn't take that long to do. That hull is the same as a same year Holiday and someone may want to add a cabin if you put it on CL or here on Iboats in the classified. You may even be able to trade for the parts you can use for your project. In any case. some of the things on it, like the opening side windows on the upper windshield, are pretty nice to have. I can see the appeal of these as a big open boat.

Ron

Yeah, absolutely, I had no intentions of taking a blade to it, I'll be drilling out all the rivets. Would it be ideal/possible to remove the glass first? I'm assuming like vintage cars, vintage glass is hard to come by so things like that, Id like to pack away as careful as possible.

 

[oldhaven]

I suggested removing the rivets because it is just about as easy as any other way, and you might help someone out . I'd keep the glass in the frames. Less work for you and the next guy. The upper windshield splits into three pieces and is not that hard to store away. You could even just not bother to take it off the cabin until you advertise a bit and see if anyone is interested. I'd just advertise as minimal price ,OBO, free or trade since you are essentially just doing a mercy mission to save some nice vintage parts for someone who might need them rather than sending it to the dump. The cabin windows should just stay in the the cabin so you don't have to mess with it and again, if there is a next owner, they will not have to guess at how things go together. Keep things in big pieces if you can, and don't take the time to disassemble too far. You will have enough to do with your new conversion and that will be more fun. If anybody wants this stuff, they will need a trailer anyway.

Ron

 

[laurentide]

Yep, somebody down the road will be psyched to find the glass and frames. They'll appreciate your efforts if you can just save that. A lot of the Chiefs are missing the top glass and frames.

 

[Unapologetic_Patriot]

Well, finally got the floor out today, a good bit of the Styrofoam felt dry but it'll be getting replaced with pool noodles anyway. The floor under the splashwell was worse than I thought as well. And I finally got down on my back and took a few good hard whacks at the transom...guess what...mulch....

Oddly enough only around the bolts for the engine, everywhere else seems solid and dry. Sooooo...hopefully getting it off tomorrow and calling to see how long it'll take for my bracket to be fabricated and see if thats the route Im going to take with a full transom or if I need to re-do the transom as is with the splashwell for now and do the bracket over the winter.

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With the floor out I got to imagining my console plans...positioning and several other things. As I stated earlier, under deck fuel tank is at the top of my list. And with the few kicks I've taken with the project so far, Ive been feeling a bit discouraged but I was browsing for tank options and of course looking at Moellers and was eyeing the 18gallon low profile tank, I gave a sigh and broke out the debit card, 350 bucks then it hit me....the tank I pulled out of the boat....

​

So I did save myself something there....glad I remembered. Hoping to have the cabin off this weekend as well.

 

[BWR1953]

Well, finally got the floor out today, a good bit of the Styrofoam felt dry but it'll be getting replaced with pool noodles anyway...

Pool noodles aren't the way to go. They don't provide as much flotation and can absorb water.

Foam board insulation is the way to go. Many of us have used it with success.

 

[Unapologetic_Patriot]

That foam looks much much neater, I'll probably go that route.

I did manage to get the motor off the transom tonight, it was pretty rough and after 9pm EST by the time I got it off, so no pictures, hoping to pull the transom tomorrow and snap some pictures. Picked up a sheet of plywood to start console construction as well.

 

[laurentide]

Seconding the foam board over pool noodles. The noodles will eventually break down and clog/burn out your bilge pump, in addition to what BWR stated.

 

[Unapologetic_Patriot]

Rain is keeping me out of the boat too much today...so I've been under the carport working on the console and in my computer chair researching/working on a bracket design. This is what I've got at this point, it will hopefully provide enough positive flotation to warrant the offset but even if not, I'll be moving more weight forward. Front plate and mounting plate will be 1/2" with a 1/2" sheet on the inside of the transom as well, the sides, bottom and top will be 1/4", 8" access hole on top. This should allow me to go full transom and open the back of the boat completely.

Any advice, input or flaws anyone notices, please let me know, I'll be bringing the idea to my welder on Monday and hope to have it completed by the end of the week.

 

[laurentide]

You're not going to find much bracket knowledge here, we pretty much all run transom mount outboards or i/o's. Try the Boat Topics and Questions forum.

 

[Watermann]

Your transom in the Chief has a 15 degree angle not 12. I question the current OB you have working as most guys use 25" shaft OB's for such a conversion otherwise you run the risk of flooding the OB powerhead. With a 20" shaft if you come to a sudden stop the back wash can deluge and kill your OB.

 

[pckeen]

Nice project. I'll be tagging along.

 

[Unapologetic_Patriot]

Appreciated, at this point it looks like I may cut the splashwell back some but ultimately keep the transom and mounting the same, the bracket was proving to be more pain than its worth with a whole lot of "I dunnos" and no clear idea on when it could be finished so I'm scrapping that idea for now. I picked up another little boat to get me out on the water for the reason of this season so the starcraft work will be slowing down some until it starts getting cool. I did manage to build the console but don't really like the width of it and will be trimming 8" of so out of the width of it to give more room for passing on either side then glassing it. Haven't pulled the top yet either but thats the next big project after the transom. Does anyone have a good tutorial on pulling the transom to keep it as intact as possible?